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February 10, 2009
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Considering Valentine's Day, by Sarah Stirman
My family experienced some minor medical drama the week between
Christmas and New Year's while traveling out of state. On one of my
many trips to the drug store, I had to stop dead in my tracks. I was
perusing the Christmas decorations and wrapping paper on clearance. I
turned around to look for more, and was faced with a shelf full of
boxes of Valentine's cards that children will use to declare love for
classmates. Before the confetti of the New Year's holiday is swept up,
the shelves in stores are fully stocked with hearts, balloons, and all
manner of Valentine props and paraphernalia.
Maybe it's age, maybe it's motherhood, maybe it's global warming, but I
don't think of Valentine's Day the same way that I did as a young,
single woman or newlywed. Valentine's Day is a fun, light-hearted
opportunity to lavish love on those around you, but life has shown me
that love rarely looks like the front of a Hallmark card.
Love is not running along a beach hand in hand. Love holds the
flashlight in the middle of the night, make-up long gone and tempers
flaring, holding your tongue while your sweetie attempts an emergency
home repair. Love isn't demonstrated by dewy eyes across a candlelit
meal, but rather by one more run to the doctor or pharmacy when you are
exhausted beyond reasonable or rational thought.
Valentine's Day lends itself to romance. Romance is wonderful and
exciting, but won't take you very far when the stomach bug hits, or
your "Love Shack" floods, or one of your parents is critically ill
and/or dies. Romance will not be found in any of those situations, but
love is there larger than life. Love brings the cool wash cloth again
and again for the stomach bug, and mops and covertly repairs damaged
keepsakes during the flood, and cries and holds and works and loves
with an ill family member.
Love is not rose petals and champagne, but aching backs and work
gloves. Love at my house never dances in an evening gown or tuxedo, but
love supplies the elbow grease, the patience, the encouragement, and
the clean clothes to face each day and, Lord willin' a comforting place
to come home to when the day seems to come out on top. Love is holding
tight when no words will fix it, and tears the only language uttered.
Love is not a polished, glimmery state. Love is messy, inconvenient,
and frustrating. Love is giving up the last ounce of energy, sleep,
time, or chocolate for the well-being of another. Love isn't found in
romantic restaurants or destinations, but in hospital waiting rooms,
the lobby of funeral homes, and kneeling in prayer next to race-car or
princess beds in the middle of the night. Love is less about flowers
and cartoon hearts, and everything about the value of another soul on
this planet. I guess that's a little harder to put on the side of a
coffee mug.
I will play along this Valentine's Day, like all the others, and I
certainly hope for you to feel cherished on that day. But, later in the
year when the toilet overflows while the drama at school comes to a
boiling point and work causes too many demands to keep everyone civil,
love will be there with a plunger, Kleenex for the tears, and hugs,
pats, and kisses for all the things the plunger and Kleenex won't fix.
Consider that your own Valentine's Day -- but don't look for Hallmark
to make a card for it anytime soon.
Love will be there with a plunger!
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not
easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight
in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always
trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails (1
Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV).
----------------------------------------------------------------------
More of Sarah's work can be found on her blog:
http://www.sarahstirman.blogspot.com
Sarah is part of The Coffee Group, a varied group of women who express
their love, faith, and praise for God with ladies they love. They do
ladies' retreats and special speaking on God's work in their lives, as
well as the importance of sharing your faith story.
Check out their website:
http://www.thecoffeegroup.net
Come visit them on their blog:
http://www.espressohislove.blogspot.com
The Coffee Group is part of the Heartlight.org Network
---------
(c) 2009 Sarah Stirman <sstirman@gmail.com>
RELATED LINKS:
* In Search of Love
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200802/20080219_searchlove.html
* Surprised by Love
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200702/20070212_surprisedbylove.html
* Now that the Flowers are Wilted and the Chocolate is Gone
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200303/20030328_romance.html
* The Cleft of the Rock
http://www.sarahstirman.blogspot.com/
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200902/20090210_valentinesday.html
=========================== FEATURED PRODUCT =========================
THE MESSAGE: THE BIBLE IN CONTEMPORARY LANGUAGE, by Eugene H. Peterson
Many have awaited the day Eugene Peterson would complete the entire
Bible in his unique translational-paraphrase. Well, the wait is over!
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